2012 RUMBLE-ACC REVISITS AN OLD FORMAT

CANADA North vs CANADA SOUTH

PHASE 1’s annual All Canada Classic has taken on a few different formats over the years in an effort to keep the event exciting and competitive. The original boy’s event was a very bold effort to put the best of Toronto verses the rest of Canada, with an undercard match up of the second best group of Toronto players verses the best of Ontario. The event later changed to an East verses West battle with the line drawn at the longest street in the world; Yonge Street in Ontario.

In 2002 we saw our first large exodus of Canadian athletes south of the border to American prep schools, setting the stage for the first game that featured “Canadians playing at home in Canada verses the Canadians playing in America.” The Canadian High Schoolers lead by Denham Brown (U. Connecticut, Seattle Super Sonics, NBA Draft Pick), who opted to stay home after rejecting several U.S. prep offers, beat a team of Canadians that spent at least one season being groomed on the other side of the border.  Despite what was the one of the most intense games in the history of events, the North vs South format was never repeated again....until now!

The 2012 All Canada Classic will once again be a battle to see if the best players stayed home in Canada or made their way south to American prep and high schools. The list of athletes on each side has been narrowed down to 30 North and 30 South. The South squad may be in trouble with the absence of All American, Anthony Bennett (Findlay Prep) who has played in the maximum number of all star games for a NCAA bound senior, plus a few other big names that will be travelling with the Canadian Junior National Team. The North squad will surely have very little sympathy because each one of them has spent the past year being treated like second class citizens to the ballers that headed across the border to greener pastures.